DS has a cold - I even had trouble breathing a couple of weeks ago with this cold - and we're following his action plan to a T, and even included the Singulaire last night. He still needs his Ventolin every 6 hours or so. The only "funny" thing are his symptoms. He doesn't seem to have the laboured breathing, but his cough sounds tight (if that makes sense).

Yesterday he was cold, and had blue fingertips and lips and was tired. We gave him Ventolin since his fingers and lips were blue, and lo and behold it helped the cough, chills and the colour. He has no wheezing, his breathing looks normal when you take his shirt off and he's not even coughing much. The symptoms that he does have make sense to me, but he also has a fever and they are similar symptoms to any cold or flu. The fever only appears after the ventolin kicks in.

Do these symptoms sound familiar to anyone?

Also, has anyone heard about ibuprofen being contraindicated for Asthma?

Make an appointment with his Dr to get some advice on how to handle his asthma when he has a cold.
The cold virus is a trigger for many with Asthma. You might need to use the rescue puffer more regularly, you might also have to increase the contoller medication. Get medical advice!

Thanks Susan! We spoke with an asthma educator and doctor at the asthma clinic a couple of montha ago and colds are a trigger for him (always have been it turns out!). We are following the asthma action plan that was given to him including increasing his controller medication, using his rescue inhaler and adding Singulaire, all recommended by the doctor at the asthma clinic, his family doctor and the asthma educator. I'm confident I'm treating it appropriately.

I have just never heard of these flu like symptoms happening to anyone else during an asthma attack and want to to know if anyone else has had or seen symptoms like these without the wheeze or laboured breathing. What other atypical symptoms are there? I asked this question to the doctor and asthma educator, but they said coughing and fatigue. Never chills and they never mentioned he could turn blue without the obvious laboured breathing.

Dd is not a wheezer. She just doesn't wheeze, even in the worst of her asthma attacks. I would check on her a night and her little head (2 years old) would be sweaty with her hair plastered to her cheek, that's how hard she was working to breathe! "Yucky tummy", was another symptom. The Asthma Educator called it "tight tummy". So yes, asthma can mimic flu like symptoms.

Great new articles on asthma in the spring issue. One article lists symptoms and says not everyone wheezes.... DS is also a not a wheezer (aside from just a few episodes). His standard is an awful cough, sounds like he's choking and he says his tummy hurts also when he's working harder to breath. And although not quite a wheeze you can hear him very short of breath and breathing hard. Pollens /ragweedgrass him him very hard so the past week I already see his asthma ,runny nose, sneezing, rash etc. flaring up. Got lots of puffers and reactine on hand. Hope he's feeling better Heibs.

My son also had an episode where it went blue around his lips and he complained of "chest" pain. We ran to emerg, had a full check-up and thankfully his heart was fine. They had declared it an unexplained reaction. Upon reflection he also had a slight cold at that time...based on your son's reaction it may have been my son's asthma that caused these symptoms. Thanks for the question!

With his asthma better under control, we don't always hear a wheeze either. He tends to have the typical cough as you have described it.

To be sure you should get a check-up. If he is reacting this way then his asthma may not be under control with his action plan and should be adjusted. What works for them today may not work tomorrow.

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